You Can't Run Away from It

Any fool should have known that a remake of "It Happened One Night" would not measure up, but somebody had to prove it. Jack Lemmon and June Allyson don't have anything like the chemistry that Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert had in the original, and Allyson is really miscast as a naive young heiress.

Still, I'm glad that "You Can't Run Away From It" is a musical remake, because the songs are fairly good, even if they're not the best ever written by the team of DePaul and Mercer. The title song is as memorable -- and hummable -- as many an overdone pop standard, and all the others are at least pleasant. So things could have been worse.

You Can't Run Away From It is a re-make of Frank Capra's It Happened One Night. That being said, one knows already what to expect. Film makers, no matter how hard they try, generally fail at reproducing classic films. This is no exception, not to say that this movie isn't good, but it cannot hold a candle to the original.

June Allyson stars as Ellie Andrews, a wealthy society dame rebelling against her father's strict command. She has eloped with a wealthy gigolo type, but has been kidnapped away from him by her family in hopes of being granted an annulment. Before the papers can be signed, Ellie runs away again, this time on a bus to find her new husband. On the way she meets Peter Warne (Jack Lemmon), a news reporter out for a good story. He agrees to help Ellie in exchange for the exclusive story, but the two develop a relationship while on the road.

Allyson is not quite elegant enough to pass as a member of the elite upper class and Lemmon lacks the charm of Clark Gable, so each fall short in their parts. However, it is always nice to see them, whether they excel or not.

All of the classic moments are here from the group song in the bus, the search for raw carrots, the hitch hiking scene, and the "walls of Jericho" bit. These inclusions should have been done like a proud tribute to the original, but they're played like they've never been done before, and fall very flat. It's like they found a stunning old gown in a trunk thats become threadbare and moth eaten over time and tried to pass it off as new. Who were they kidding? Part of the problem is comparing this version to the original film. If one has never seen It Happened One Night, this movie might fare better. It has its moments, and once they get going, the musical numbers aren't all that bad. The color is quite striking too. This version is perfect for younger audiences who refuse to watch black and white, but adults will prefer the wit of the original.

It it worth noting that the TCM print is a pan-and-scan version, so we lose some of the original splendor. Shame on you TCM for denouncing pan-and-scan and then showing it!

Evidently someone decided that since they had Technicolor available they could remake It Happened One Night. June Allyson, who was 39 when it was made, is dreadfully miscast as a rich brat who runs away from her father. Jack Lemmon tries his best to make it work, but even he must have cringed when singing the lame musical sequences. The black and white of the original mirrored the gloomy darkness of the Great Depression, and the rich brat's handing the last of their money to a hungry woman was a big turning point of the whole movie; none of that here. When will Hollywood producers learn that you can't remake perfection?

June Allyson and Jack Lemmon star in this musical remake of "It Happened One Night," which centers on an oil heiress who is taken by her father from her wedding to a man of whom her father doesn't approve. When her father played by Charles Bickford threatens to have the marriage annulled, she jumps off the yacht they're on and gets away. The father instantly sets up an extensive search for her before she can get to her newlywed husband in Houston. Jack Lemmon is a newspaperman whose path crosses hers. Such is the gist. While this is essentially a scene-for-scene and almost word-for-word remake of the Clark Gable film and not nearly so good, it is a very pleasant, enjoyable little film helped by some very upbeat songs and the chemistry of the two leads. As remakes go, I've seen a lot worse. And, it looks like they had fun making this, especially June Allyson, who has a good dance number in the hay! June Allyson was a very good comedienne. Not much is said about her comedic timing. It's been said she was a good crier; she could cry on cue in her melodramas. But she was very funny in her comedies. One other good example is "Two Sisters from Boston." And, Jack Lemmon is always a joy to watch. Charles Bickford is a little stiff for the role of her father though. Arthur O'Connell would have been better. If you come across this film on TCM, I think you'd enjoy this whimsical piece of fluff.

Pale imitation of It Happened One Night fails to capture the magic of the original, a fools errand to attempt in the first place, but is pleasant enough.

One of the problems is that Jack Lemmon and June Allyson share little chemistry, a vital component to the first film or any romantic comedy. Another is that June, 39 when this was made, while still very attractive is a bit mature to be convincing as a madcap runaway heiress. Debbie Reynolds, who was in her mid-twenties at the time would have been a better fit.

Scenes that crackled in the first just move the story along in this from place to place. Full of forgettable music which adds nothing to the original tale and a the high gloss look that was a signature of 50's cinema.

Well made but lacking the Capra touch.